DS could resurrect the SM with a Maserati V6 engine

A very expensive small series production run with a Maserati six-cylinder engine is probably planned.

Photo by: DS Automobiles

By: Stefan Wagner

Nov 19, 2024 at 3:55am ET

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As Top Gear magazine reports, DS is looking for ways to bring the fantastic SM Tribute coupé study into series production. Although the concept car, which was only shown in September, is very radical in its design language, existing series parts from another brand in the Stellantis Group were used for it. We are talking about Maserati.

In this case, that fits like a glove, because the great role model, the Citroën SM (built between 1970 and 1975), did exactly the same thing. More than 50 years ago, it combined a Maserati platform and a six-cylinder engine from the Trident with a French body and the trademark hydraulic chassis.

Now, DS is looking for ways to bring the concept into small series production. This was revealed to TopGear by Thierry Metroz, head of design at the French car manufacturer. According to the report, the car could be produced in very small numbers by an external coachbuilder. The Maserati Granturismo would serve as the basis. The study already uses the windscreen of the Italian GT.

Metroz reveals that both Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares and DS boss Olivier Francois are behind the idea, provided that the car could make some money. This has long been a major issue in relation to the luxury brands of the Stellantis conglomerate.

Gallery: 2024 DS SM Tribute concept

Source: DS Automobiles

Maserati and D, in particular, are regarded as money-burning machines and are under critical scrutiny within the group. Could projects such as a desirable, extremely high-priced SM small series with Maserati technology be a way to make these brands more profitable? The question is whether DS currently has the image to charge the right prices, even with an unquestionably beautiful car like this one.

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And we are obviously talking about more than hefty asking prices here. When asked whether a possible production car would have an electric or combustion engine, Metroz said that you wouldn't want an electric car if you were buying a car for a million euros.

The power source would therefore probably be Maserati's own Nettuno V6, a 3.0-litre biturbo with at least 530 bhp. The original SM from the seventies was a front-wheel drive car, but for its revival, DS might rely on all-wheel drive.

Source: TopGear